Kepler-180: A Star and Its Two Transiting Worlds

Kepler-180 is a star located 2270 light-years away, and two planets have been found orbiting it. The host star is estimated to be 4.57 billion years old, with a mass of 0.95 solar masses and a radius of 0.93 solar radii. Its reported temperature is 5610 K, cooler than the Sun's, and its mass estimate is smaller than the Sun's.

Both planets were discovered by the transit method in 2014, which detects the small dip in a star's brightness when a planet passes in front of it from our viewpoint. Kepler-180 b is classified as a Super-Earth. It completes an orbit in 13.8 days and has a radius of 1.5 Earth radii, making it the smallest of the listed planets and the one with the shortest year by reported estimates. Its radius places it in the Super-Earth size class, which reaches up to 2.5 times Earth's radius.

Kepler-180 c is a Neptune-like world. It orbits in 41.9 days and has a radius of 3.01 Earth radii, larger than Earth's and the largest among the listed planets. It also has the longest year by reported estimates. Its radius falls within the Neptune-like size class, which reaches up to 4 times Earth's radius.